You Get to Choose the Colors for D.C. Taxis
• December 14, 2012

Four different color schemes for District taxis were announced by Mayor Vincent Gray Dec. 10, as part of the new taxi law, passed by the Council. The four choices are on display on vehicles that can be viewed at the Verizon Center and will later be seen at Washington International Auto Show. Visit the Taxicab Commission website for more information: DCtaxi.dc.gov.
[gallery ids="101106,138277,138274" nav="thumbs"]

Conan O’Brien Visits Martin’s, Cafe Milano, Four Seasons
•

With Sunday’s TNT taping lined up for “Christmas in Washington,” and participant South Korean hip-hop artist Psy getting most of the advance attention because of his anti-American comments made eight years ago, show host Conan O’Brien had a chance to chill in Georgetown. The comedian, who has his own show on TBS, was first spotted at the bar in the Four Seasons Hotel. Later, O’Brien was at Cafe Milano and finished up the night around the corner at Martin’s Tavern on Dec. 8. Staged at the National Building Museum, the annual Yuletide show benefits the Children’s and includes attendance by the president and the first family. This year’s other performers included Diana Ross, Demi Lovato and “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery. The show will air Dec. 21.

Does Secondhand Rose Have An Imposter on Wisconsin Avenue?
•

Secondhand Rose of Georgetown, the well-regarded vintage, consignment clothing store at 1516 Wisconsin Ave., NW. Although the sign on the building has remained, the business itself, owned by Lynn Boynton, continues as an online business. The Wisconsin Avenue retail space appears to continue as “Secondhand Rose,” and that has created confusion and a problem.

Owner of the business, Secondhand Rose, Lynn Boynton, contacted this newspaper last week. In an email, she wrote, “I purchased the business 11 years ago from four women who had owned the business for 25 years. I had become weary of the condition of the building and decided it was time for a new location. I gave notice and moved on Nov. 14. The landlord Bok Hwang advertised the space in the Korean newspaper and found a new tenant, Susan Ro. Ms. Ro is using the name Second Hand Rose. DCRA has assured she cannot use my name. I am a corporation in good standing, and I have filed an official complaint. I am curious as to why Ms. Ro cannot give her business a unique name and feels a need to pose as Secondhand Rose. I worked hard for 11 years and have a faithful following. My customers became my friends and are confused and upset by this turn of events. I am still doing business, and my name is Secondhand Rose. Krista Johnson, owner of Ella Rue on P Street, went into 1516 Wisconsin Ave., and Ms. Ro told her she had purchased the business and it is under new management. Ms. Ro did not purchase my business. She offered me $5,000 and told me ‘That is my number, think about it.’ One item in my shop is worth more than $5,000, so there was nothing to think about. The landlord and his wife have told me on many occasions how important they believe the name Secondhand Rose is. I know he has encouraged his new tenant to use the name.”

Beijing, Shanghai in 7 Days
• December 12, 2012

“Want to go to China?” asked a media colleague. On his airline points, no less, so that he would rack up miles for premier status. Barely able to say, “Ni Hao,” with passport in hand, I applied for a visa on the Chinese Visa Office on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park.

Regarding my business buddy — whom I’ve known since our days at Georgetown University and worked with at conventions — I foresaw not only a dizzying week of movement and sightseeing, but a busman’s holiday. “We’re going to the warehouse,” he quipped.

Aloft from Dulles Airport, the pilot informed us that the 14-hour, non-stop flight, fewer than 7,000 miles, would take us over Greenland, the Arctic Ocean and Russia to Beijing. Snow-capped mountains north of the capital, as the plane flew south from Siberia, was the first glimpse of China. “On your left, you may see parts of the Great Wall,” the pilot said in her wake-call.
After customs check-in, officers simply waved us past luggage detectors. Amid info boards and ads, we noticed a display of items, such as weapons and drugs, not permitted to bring into the country that included a can of Spam.

“Welcome to Beijing,” said the friendly couple, walking near the City Wall Marriott. The street was filled with food stores, some slightly familiar, others quite local. First dinner in Beijing? Why, Peking Duck, of course. It was curious that there are no fourth or 13th floors at this Marriott but smoking allowed in some rooms. Bells at the old city wall were heard at certain hourly intervals.
A first day in China demanded a walk through Tiananmen Square. During the off-season, we seemed a bit out-of-place: two big, white guys from the West. A few persons took photos with us. Another at the hotel asked if we were in town for the Communist Party Congress. Not so, but my fellow traveler recalled his visit to Beijing 30 years ago as full of bicycles not cars, and much more haze.

At the square is Mao Zedong’s tomb, the People’s Palace and the National Museum. After the obligatory photo in front of the Tiananmen Gate with Mao’s large picture was a foray into the Forbidden City, a stunning micro-cosmos of beauty in the center of Beijing. This you can barely absorb in one day but surely see the Hall of Supreme Harmony, its biggest structure, and the Palace of Heavenly Peace. Yes, there is a moat.

The biggest must-see is the Great Wall of China, a day trip, with sections of the wall just 40 miles north of Beijing. We bypassed the touristy wall at Badaling with its Starbucks and ascended to the Mutianyu section, riding in a cable car; Bill Clinton used number 26, a sign assured. The views and epiphany-of-place reward the trek, if you can get past the souvenir hawkers. Standing atop the wall is one huge check on anyone’s bucket list. Here is one of those worldly sites where the reality exceeds the dream.
After the jade and enamelware (cloisonne) outlets, we stopped at the Olympic Park for the 2008 games and finished the day at Dr. Tea, sampling and buying a bit of all the tea in China. Vladimir Putin took some tea here. Before meeting our train at the new Beijing South Station the next morning, we shopped on a wholesale street few visitors frequent.

The train ride from Beijing to Shanghai — about 820 miles in five hours — was a real eye-opener, revealing a huge amount of cranes erected in the cities en route. This nation of contrasts is in a rush to maintain its economic growth.

Coming into Shanghai, we felt a little lost at the station before catching a cab to the Hyatt on the Bund. Nearing the Embankment, we stared at the buildings and then skyscrapers of Pudong across the Huangpu River. The colors and brilliance were potently, artfully electric and excited the mind’s eye.

The view from my 27th floor hotel room offered the iconic Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jin Mao Tower and cityscape, and the Vue bar and restaurant atop the Hyatt is a perch not to be missed with its hot tubs — and all of Shanghai before you.

A place in motion, Shanghai is truly a city of the world and the future. At the Shanghai Circus, with its acrobatic acts, the ringmaster spun a porcelain vase on his head. I was eager to walk along the Bund and see the Customs House and old Signal Tower, as seen on “The Amazing Race.”

Next to modern facades are shops and eateries for city folk along with major Art Deco architecture from the 1930s; lunch at the Hotel Metropol. Nanjing Road stores are also lighted at night and have all that is offered on Fifth Avenue or Rodeo Drive as much as Xin Tian Di looked like it could be in Scottsdale or Santa Monica. Near the Sightseeing Pedestrian Tunnel, the Super Brand Mall looked like home with its “Merry Christmas” signs.

“Buy, buy, Shanghai,” they say. This city is a shopper’s paradise. A fine scarf, perfect necklace or leatherware — perhaps a Hello Kitty pencil case or an Angry Birds slingshot — at No. 1 Department Store? “What are you looking for?” said an unwanted street shopping guide. “I can find it for you.” How about a Mao ashtray or watch at the Dongtai Road antique market? Ready to take another taxi?

There is so much to this cool, cosmopolitan city of 23 million: from the past, the French Concession, Jade Buddha Temple, Jesuit Village or more. In the future-is-now category, the MagLev (magnetic levitation) train zips 19 miles to the airport at a maximum of 431 kilometers per hour (268 mph) at just over seven minutes. Had to try that.

Saying bye-bye to China, we flew to Los Angeles — 6,500 miles in less than 13 hours. After those shiny, big stations and airports, LAX seemed a little tired. “It’s not the MagLev,” intoned my fellow globetrotter. To combat jet lag, we spent a day in Los Angeles. Back in Washington, it had been a complete circumnavigation of the earth in one trip.

See more photos from Robert Devaney’s trip to China at www.Georgetowner.com. [gallery ids="101100,138038,138044,138050,138057,138063,138070,138076,138083,138031,138025,138019,138111,138105,137994,138100,138096,138000,138006,138013,138090" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetown Begins and Brightens Its Season’s Greetings
• December 11, 2012

The oldest neighborhood in Washington, D.C., now sports the newest and largest ice skating rink in the region at Washington Harbour down by the Potomac River. Along with its festive store fronts and nicely lighted homes, the intersection at Wisconsin Avenue and M Street is also sporting an illuminated ornament and bows above the traffic.

The rink is the latest addition to Georgetown, which has traditionally decked itself stylishly for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice and New Year’s Eve. Whether business receptions, parties or persons meeting at a restaurant after shopping, Georgetown has been the place to meet for decades. This year, the venues have only apped up their seasonal cheer and flair.

The ice skating rink at Washington Harbour held its own inauguration of sorts Dec. 1 with strolling entertainers, ice skating performances, choral singers, a St. Lucia procession and lighting effects, along with special food and beverages served outdoors by Washington Harbour restaurants. At 11,800 square feet, the Washington Harbour ice rink is D.C.’s largest outdoor ice skating venue, larger than New York City’s Rockefeller Center rink. It is managed by the complex’s owner, MRP Realty. The rink will be open through February for recreational skating every day, including all holidays. For more information, visit TheWashingtonHarbour.com/skating.

The House of Sweden added to Saturday’s with female singers performing a St. Lucia procession from the embassy to the steps and dockside in front of the ice rink. Among the weekend’s Yuletide cheer was a wreath-making workshop at Tudor Place. Santa Claus came to Volta Park on the morning of Dec. 2, and St. John’s Church held its American Boychoir: Family Christmas Concert.

And there are, of course, many parties and family get-togethers to come. [gallery ids="101080,137335,137308,137329,137324,137320,137314" nav="thumbs"]

Metro Extends Hours for Redskins-Giants Game
•

The Washington Redskins will meet the Super Bowl champions New York Giants at FedEx Field in a few hours. The Redskins, who have not won a Monday night since September 2007, first played the Giants in October 1932. Theirs is the oldest rivalry in the NFC East Division. The hometown fans are up for the game, however, and will get more time to get home with extended Metrorail times.

Here’s a media alert from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority:

Metrorail will stay open an additional hour on Monday, Dec. 3, to accommodate the crowds expected to attend the Washington Redskins Monday Night Football game at FedEx Field.

Fans leaving FedEx Field for Morgan Boulevard station will find the last Blue Line train headed toward Franconia-Springfield at 12:25 a.m., and the last Blue Line train to Largo Town Center at 1:33 a.m.

Customers will be able to make connections to other lines as follows:

= Orange Line – transfer at Stadium-Armory

= Green or Yellow line – transfer at L’Enfant Plaza

= Red Line – transfer at Metro Center

Entrances at all other Metro stations will close at their normal times, but customers will be able to exit at all stations during the additional hour of service.

The extended Metrorail service is funded by an agreement with the Washington Redskins.

Georgetown: Shop Local, Buy Local.
• December 10, 2012

Shop close to home, and enjoy the historic neighborhood. There are more than 450 places where you can shop or eat, according to the Georgetown Business Improvement District, which has brightened up at the center of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street with an illuminated ornament with ribbons floating above the traffic. The silver Christmas trees shine at the eastern and western edges of our town. The street lamps are decks with evergreens and lights. It is a great place to shop, and stop for lunch or dinner after shopping. Some business owners have already notices an increase in gift buying this year, compared to 2011.

“Deck the Halls. Forget the Malls” is this season’s slogan by the Georgetown BID, which offers free rides for shoppers on Saturdays. “Getting around Georgetown is easy and fun this holiday season. Hop into a pedicab and cruise to your favorite Georgetown shops. Complimentary pedicab rides will be available every Saturday from Nov. 24 through Dec. 15, noon to 5 p.m.”

Take time to take it all in. We live in a special place. Walk through your town and your city, and see the world refreshed by the joys and wishes of this season. And shop in Georgetown, D.C.

How About a Christmas- Hanukkah Gift for Dumbarton Oaks Park?
• December 7, 2012

Now it can be your turn to play Kris Kringle (or Hanukkah Harry) for a great, local cause: the Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy, which strives to protest, preserve and enhance our favorite park on R Street.

Here is a message from Rebecca Trafton, the conservancy’s board president: “As we announced in October, Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy has been awarded a $50,000 chal- lenge gift from the National Park Foundation toward our Signature Project. By late October, we had raised $25,000 toward that challenge. Since then, we’ve raised an additional $6,270. Now, we need your help. In order to receive this generous award, we must raise an additional $18,730.”

“We at the Dumbarton Oaks ParkConservancy are grateful for your generosity in helping save the trea- sure that is Dumbarton Oaks Park. Since Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss first donated the park to the American people in 1940, it has been a true gift. Designed as a private Garden of Eden, it is today a national park in the heart of Washington, a bucolic escape from city life.”

Your gift will help ensure the strength and longevity of the Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy. Visit www.dopark.org/Donate.html

Sgt. Joe Pozell to Be Honored by C.O.P.S. Classic Golf
• December 6, 2012

August 13 will mark the ninth anniversary of the D.C. – C.O.P.S. Classic and will be hosted at Westfields Golf Club in Clifton, Va., to support the D.C. Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors.

This year’s tournament is dedicated to the memory of Metropolitan Police Department Reserve Sergeant Joseph Pozell. On May 14, 2005, Reserve Sergeant Pozell was struck by a vehicle while directing traffic at the intersection of M Street and Wisconsin Avenue and died from his injuries on May 17, 2005. Pozell had served in the Metropolitan Police Department for three years. He is survived by his wife Ella and son.

D.C. COPS Classic Golf Tournament was started in 2003 by Metropolitan Police Department Detective Joey Crespo. Detective Crespo started this tournament to raise money for the Washington DC Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors. The tournament has grown from 75 players to last year’s biggest event with 260 golfers. Detective Crespo has been joined by Metropolitan Police Department Officer Greg Alemian in 2006 and Detective Travis Barton in 2008. 100 percent of the proceeds from the D.C. COPS Classic are given to the Washington, D.C., Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors.

Georgetown University Master Plan Meetings, Nov. 27 and 28
•

Georgetown University has invited its neighbors to two Planning 101 Sessions on Nov. 27 and Nov. 28, which will provide an overview of the university’s master planning efforts — that is, the master plan for 2017-2037. Residents will have the opportunity to meet the university’s team, including developers Forest City Washington, and to hear about the planning process.

The two sessions are Tuesday, Nov. 27, 6:30 p.m., McShain Lounge, McCarthy Hall (on the Main Campus, down toward the Jesuit Residence and McDonough Gym) and Wednesday, Nov. 28, 9:30 a.m., Leavey Program Room, Leavey Center (on the Main Campus past the Intercultural Center toward the medical center).

For more information, e-mail Neighborhood@Georgetown.edu.